Instructor Bios

Blair Barbour is currently a producer for Howcast productions, an exhibiting artist, the youngest board member of the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, a Yoga instructor, an independent filmmaker, a newspaper photographer, a writer, a world traveler, a sand sculpture contest winner and a lover of variety.

Blair’s talents were first recognized in high school with a national art award. Then again at Bucks county Community College where she received the Marian-Ebert Wolle scholarship and got her degree in Fine Art. After Bucks she traveled to Garopaba, Brazil to get her Yoga teaching certification and have the time of her life. When she came home she went to Temple University and got her Bachelor's degree in Film and Media production. Today Blair is delighted to come and teach at Bucks and states this is where she received her best education.

Susie Beiler is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and Licensed Occupational Therapist with Ivyland Counseling Center. Her expertise is in nutritional and spiritual guidance. Using essential oils, deep listening, and gentle coaching, Susie draws from her well of wisdom to collaborate with her clients as they progress on their food journeys. She is the inspiration behind the holistic nutrition DVD, “CHANGE your Food, FUEL your Life.” Susie is a prolific writer, offering a free monthly email newsletter as well as contributing to various magazines. Her services include comprehensive personalized health assessments, private nutrition and spiritual counseling sessions, workshops, group programs, speaking engagements, Raindrop Technique with essential oils, essential oil consultations, and health food store tours.

Betsy Cartwright Kruse comes to Bucks County Community College with a wealth of experience from the corporate world, having spent 12 years in the petrochemical industry and 4 years in the pharmaceutical sector. Betsy has been a lifelong student obtaining a Master's of Health Science from Johns Hopkins and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Learning and continuous improvement are her passion, which she eventually parlayed into a career by opening her own business in Doylestown in 2004, helping students of all ages develop their math & reading skills through the Kumon Learning Method. Betsy has completed two marathons and hopes to run a marathon in Hawaii someday.

Larry Chestnut is an east coast artist specializing in a manner of painting called premier coup - paintings that are inspired by the scene directly in front of the artist and completed in one sitting without later revisions. The artist combines this style of artwork with plein air painting to achieve spontaneity and to sharpen visual acquity. Larger works requiring research are often done in the studio and the premier coup techniques and philosophy are still employed when doing still life paintings in the studio.

Major influences are the American Impressionists, the Ashcan School and the New Hope School of Painting, specifically, artist like Edward Redfield, Robert Henri, Childe Hassam, Theo Robinson, Sargent and Homer. Contemporary artists like Liz Ruggles, Bob Saxon, Don Stone and Richard Schmid have been major influences on the style and technique of the artist.

He has been painting, teaching and selling his work for nearly 30 years. His subjects range from people, to old cars and their parts, to architecture and landscapes. He received many awards for his work which is included in a number of private and corporate collections in the US.

Dr. Richard DiBlassio is an educator, choral conductor, music arranger and educational consultant. He is an accomplished accordionist, pianist, and vocalist who is in demand at senior centers, retirement communities and more throughout the tri-state area. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Temple University and has worked in the public schools as a music educator, arts supervisor, and school principal. He performs music of all genres and styles from many different time periods, and is especially fond of the music from the 1930's through the 1960's.

Dr. DiBlassio has performed in and directed musical shows in Atlantic City, has recorded and toured as a traveling musician, and has appeared on a venue with Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty. He is the recipient of many honors and awards, most notably the prestigious National Gallery of Arts Scholars Award given to only one individual in each state.

Sharon Egan has painted since childhood. Watercolor is her preferred medium. Favorite subjects include still life, her family and the Bucks County landscape in the changing seasons. Influences are J.M.W. Turner and contemporary artists Mary Whyte, Miriam Warfield, James Toogood and the local community of watercolorists. After earning a B.A. in Drawing at Pennsylvania State University, Sharon found her niche in the commercial art world as a professional photographic retoucher. She continued her education at the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, under Vilia Reed and won awards in her specialization from the Professional Photographers of America. In response to the tight detail demanded by retouching, watercolor became her favorite medium because of the looseness and freedom the paint allows. Sharon is a member of Artsbridge, the Doylestown Art League and Just Painters. Her works are included in a number of private collections.

Anwar El-Homsi has over 18 years of quality and statistics experience in a variety of industries. He has held engineering and management positions at Becton Dickinson, Eastman Kodak Company, Heidelberg, Xerox Corporation, Corning Corporation, and he is currently the President of Transformation Partners Company. His areas of expertise are Six Sigma methodologies including Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), Design of Experiments, Statistical Process Control, and Reliability Engineering. He is considered an expert in Six Sigma deployment and philosophy. He is an outstanding coach and trainer. He has trained more than one thousand engineers and scientists, and mentored many Black Belts who documented millions of dollars in direct savings. Anwar received his MS in Applied Statistics from the Rochester Institute of Technology and his BS in Engineering from Alfred University. Anwar is a Master Black Belt and Certified Quality Engineer. He is a member of the American Society for Quality, Society of Reliability Engineers, and was a member of the Advisory Council for Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Quality and Applied Statistics. He is an originator and served as President of the Society of Reliability Engineers, Rochester Chapter. Anwar is the coauthor of the revolutionary book “TPS-Lean Six Sigma, Linking Human Capital to Lean Six Sigma”.

Scott I. Fegley, Esq. has represented clients in a wide variety of civil matters for over eighteen years. In 1984, he graduated cum laude from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He received his Juris Doctor from the Villanova University School of Law in 1987. Mr. Fegley is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa National Academic Honor Society.

Mr. Fegley started his own law practice in 2002 focusing on business and employment law. His main office is located in Yardley, Pennsylvania. He also has a satellite office in Hamilton Square, New Jersey. Mr. Fegley is an adjunct instructor on Labor and Employment Law at the Bucks County Community College and was a member of the Lower Makefield Township Board of Supervisors from 1994 through 2005. Mr. Fegley currently serves as counsel to the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce. He is also active in a number of other business and professional associations including the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, the Bucks County Council for Individuals With Disabilities, and the Bucks County Bar Association.

David V. Hartke is a registered architect with over twenty years of experience. He is a regionally recognized expert in sustainable architecture and planning and is currently the Principal of Stampfl Hartke Associates, LLC, an architecture and engineering firm located in Holicong, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hartke is the lead designer in all of his firms sustainable design endeavors.

Mr. Hartke’s career began when he graduated from the Catholic University of America School of Architecture. A major component of the University’s educational program was passive solar design, which ultimately led him to his interest in sustainability.

In 1993, Mr. Hartke co-founded BrightRooms, Inc. a building company specializing in efficient home design and construction. In order to further educate himself in this specialized field, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) came out with the Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) Program and Mr. Hartke became a certified LEED professional.

Mr. Hartke campaigns sustainability to the community by leading various committees and serving on their boards. He is the founder and chair for the Keystone GreenBuilt Initiative program of the Home Builders Association (HBA) for Bucks and Montgomery Counties, which is the cornerstone of sustainable design/construction for homebuilders in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Mr. Hartke also chairs the Bucks County Committee on the Environment (COTE) in addition to serving on the Advanced Energy Design Guidelines for Small Retail (AEDG-SR) Committee representing the American Institute of Architects (AIA) nationally. Additionally, he is building Bucks County’s first LEED certified home for his personal residence in the Borough of Doylestown.

Mr. Hartke writes a bimonthly column dedicated to sustainable design for the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Bucks and Montgomery Counties and also for the Building Industry Association (BIA) of Philadelphia. In addition to his regular writing commitments, Mr. Hartke has been featured in numerous local publications including The Doylestown Intelligencer, The Bucks County Courier Times and The Bucks County Herald highlighting his work in this sector. There is also an article featuring his new home that is being published this fall in Environmental Design and Construction Magazine, a leading literary publication dedicated to sustainable design and construction. Mr. Hartke has also been a guest on KYW 1060, a radio station serving Philadelphia and the surrounding area, speaking about the educational process regarding sustainable technologies.

Mr. Hartke also frequently gives talks in an effort to motivate and educate others about the benefits of sustainable design with audiences that include architects, engineers, construction professionals, facilities managers, planners, educators, utility professionals, and those working in the public sector. Mr. Hartke is currently the lead instructor for the Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) program at Bucks County Community College. In addition, he has served on numerous expert panels and has been invited to speak at conferences and industry events. One of the more recent seminars he was asked to present was given at the 2005 Delaware State Governor’s Housing Conference.

Mr. Hartke’s application of practical knowledge gained through both designing and constructing sustainable buildings provides his clients and colleagues with realistic direction and support. His goal is to work alongside others and create a partnership that is not only beneficial to the people involved but the environment as well.

John Homan is a professional teacher with more than 40 years in the field of public, industrial, and private education. He received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Temple University in 1966, and attended Trenton State College for his Master's Degree in Special Education. He also attended Bucks County Community College for Computer Programing.

Mr. Homan’s industrial experience includes employment at DeLaval Turbine Company where he worked as a Testing Engineer/ Supervisor in the Research and Development division of the company. At DeLaval, he was involved in major engineering projects including testing components for the Alaskian pipeline.

During recent years, Mr. Homan was employed as a Special Education Teacher for Bucks County Technical High School. At the technical school, Mr. Homan instructed students in various trades including: electrical wiring, plumbing, building trades, auto mechanics, CDL preparatory classes, and home inspection. He is also employed by Bucks County Community College as a night school instructor and he runs an SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) math preparatory class for the college on Saturday mornings.

He is currently working on writing a math book, Quick Math, designed to make math more interesting for students and the general public.

Valorie Johnson has been a practicing goldsmith in the Bucks and Hunterdon counties for over 30 years. She brings to her workshops and easy approachable style necessary in encouraging the creative spirit. Her rich background as a goldsmith, retailer, gallery manager, teacher and now e-commerce retailer is invaluable in the classroom and she enthusiastically solicits your questions. Valorie has instructed on all levels of education, offers personal instruction in jewelry making and is a proud supporter of community arts.

Nita Keesler has 14 years of experience in Massage Therapy and Therapeutic Assisted Stretching Techniques and has been a Massage Therapy Instructor for over 7 years. Nita is also an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor. Her goal is to bring a sense of Awareness, Balance and Empowerment to each person and creating long term pain relief and quality of life through corrective yet relaxing Massage Techniques, Assisted Stretching, Posture & Flexibility workshops and teaching others to give relaxing massages to friends and loved ones to continue the benefits at home. Nita believes in the necessity to understand the mind/body connection and re-educating the body to be able to better relieve stress and chronic tension in the muscles.

Edward H. Kropp, Ed.D. is an educator and trained facilitator with an extensive background in executive management. His educational and facilitation skills have been used in numerous departments of the government over the years including the Department of Interior, Federal Bureau of Investigation, CIA, and the Drug Enforcement Agency to name a few.

Prior to teaching for the University of Virginia, he has over 33 years of experience in business. He has served as a Senior Manager for KPMG Consulting (Bearing Point) and Director of Commercial Telecommunications for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). He also has held various senior level management positions at AT&T, one of which was managing the telecommunications and broadcast services for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Additionally, he is a decorated Vietnam War and Desert Storm veteran who served for 27 years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve before retiring as a Colonel.

Ed is currently teaching graduate level courses in research, contract management, statistics, leadership, change management, communications, risk management, project management, and quality management at the Northern Virginia Center for the University of Virginia. He is also a volunteer for the Northern Virginia Literacy Council, an Executive Board Member of the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and a certified trainer for the Institute for Global Ethics. The list of major accounts for his consulting practice presently includes Science Application International Corporation (SAIC), Department of Interior (DOI), the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), MVM Inc., Beers and Cutler, Radian, Inc., and several other leading companies in the Washington metropolitan area.

Prior to receiving his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Virginia, he earned an MA from George Mason University, and a BA from Temple University. Ed also has a Certificate in Project Management (PMP) from George Washington University and is a member of the National Contract Management Association (NMCA).

Judy LaTorre is inspired by the beautiful landscape and historic landmarks of Bucks County. Working exclusively in watercolor, she captures mood through her treatment of light. Her careful observation of sunlight and perspective create dramatic works that radiate warmth. Given the fine detail rendered in each scene, coupled with the effect of sunlight, she considers her work a combination of realism and impressionism. Judy has participated in such Juried art shows as The Tinicom Art Festival, the Philadelphia Sketch Club, Phillips Mill, and many more. She has had solo exhibits at Pearl S. Buck “Tastes of the World Party”, at ETS, and at Bucks County Community College’s “Tyler Tasting” among many others, and she has a work in the Tyler Hall permanent collection Judy has a BS degree from St. Francis College, PA.

Margaret Menhardt has taught Ballroom and Latin American Dancing for the past 12 years. Since 1994, she has trained under the personal direction of Miss Miriam Ellis, Dual Fellow and Examiner, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, London and United States.

Paula Molino is owner of Fashion Fix, a full service fashion consulting business (www.fashionfix.com), which specializes in wardrobe analysis, body shape and color assessment, closet organization, personal shopping and guest speaking.

As a fashion expert, she is a QVC on-air guest host for jewelry products and has been featured on “10!” on Philadelphia’s NBC 10.

Paula has more than twenty five years of experience in the fashion industry as a buyer, designer, and product manager with Macy’s and QVC as well as a fashion design professor at Philadelphia University. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Apparel Design from University of Delaware and a fashion merchandising certificate from Patricia Stevens Institute of Fashion.

Nancy Montvydas, CFRE, is senior director of development at Soroptimist International of the Americas in Philadelphia where she has worked since 1992. Nancy holds a bachelor's degree (magna cum laude) in sociology, with a minor in business, from LaSalle University. Nancy earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2005. She also earned certificates in fundraising management from the University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies and nonprofit management from the LaSalle University Nonprofit Management Development Center. In addition to working for Soroptimist, she is a member of Soroptimist International of Indian Rock in Bucks County and volunteers with other community and professional organizations.

Debra Niehoff, Ph.D. trained as a neuroscientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has written extensively about the biological origins of emotional behavior for the academic community, health care professionals, and the general public. Reviewers called her book The Biology of Violence: How Understanding the Brain, Behavior, and Environment Can Break the Vicious Circle of Aggression (1999, The Free Press), "a fine contribution to a debate often clouded by emotion," and "a reasoned and intelligently argued position on the biology of violence." Dr. Niehoff teaches a course on the neurobiology of violence at the FBI Academy and is also the author of a second book, The Language of Life: How Cells Communicate in Health and Disease (2005, Joseph Henry Press), which features new material on brain development, emotional memory, and the neurobiology of addiction.

Jo-Ann Osnoe earned her BFA from the Parsons School of Design, and after working as an art director in the publishing industry in NYC, she relocated to Bucks County, where she has made her home for the past 17 years. As a painter of the local landscape, she draws inspiration from the area surrounding her studio; the Delaware River, canal, historic towns and vanishing farmsteads. Working in both watercolor and oils, her preference is in capturing fleeting moments in one session with a technique known as alla prima. Ms. Osnoe has been accepted into many regional juried shows, including Phillips' Mill, Ellarslie, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Coryell Gallery and Artsbridge. Her work is included in numerous private and corporate collections, both locally and overseas.

Lisa Sandstrand has seven years of experience teaching high school and middle school literature. During this time she worked on a number of initiatives including curriculum design and development, portfolio assessment, reading and writing diagnostic testing and tracking in grades 9-12. Presently she is home with her three and four year old toddlers. Lisa has an MA from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and a BA in English literature from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

Susan Sciarratta is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania. She has worked as an environmental engineer since 1991 in both the public and private sectors. Susan runs her own business, Young Engin'uity, providing science enrichment programs to children of all ages. She also consults for Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions, a small firm whose mission is to shepherd brownfield sites through the administrative and technical process of redevelopment, including site selection, assessment, cleanup, and planning. Susan is also Vice Chair of the Newtown Township Environmental Advisory Council. Susan resides in Newtown with her husband and three children.

A.L. Sirois has more than three decades of writing experience behind him, as well as twenty years' background in production and project development and twelve years as a web designer. He cites creative influences as diverse as Firesign Theatre, the Beatles, Pieter Brueghel, Wally Wood, Mervyn Peake, H. G. Wells, and Frank Zappa. Two of his short stories made the Top 25 in Eternity's Best of the Web '98 contest - more than any other author. The stories, March 11 1936, 5:30 AM and As Bad As It Gets, received Nebula recommendations. His collection The Beginnings of Forever includes the Pushcart Prize-nominated story In the Conservatory, and others that have appeared in Amazing Stories and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, among other publications. His children's book Dinosaur Dress Up appeared from Tambourine Press in 1992. Al has published comic book continuity, marketing material, articles, and song lyrics. He worked as a Senior Technical Writer for Bear Stearns from 1999-2001, where he also created multimedia presentations and web sites. Al's recent freelance experience also includes: web design for Sul Ross University (Texas), CD covers for Silver Kamel Records, web design and animation for Far Sector.com, political and sports cartoons for Bucks County Courier-Times newspaper and summaries of financial conference calls for Ubiqus. He was adjunct professor of web design (Spring, 2004) and Film Pre-production (Spring & Fall, 2006) at Mercer County (NJ) Community College. Al contributed summary reviews for five editions of Grolier's MASTERPLOT series. A performing musician since his teens, in October of 2005 he took over as music reviewer for SciFi.com, the SciFi Channel's online presence. Al is a resident of Pipersville, PA, on the Delaware River. He won First Prize in the 2006 Writers Corner Short Story Contest with Death in the House of Imhotep.

Bob Troyer Coach – Advisor – Trainer – Mentor Bob Troyer has personally practiced and successfully executed all of the techniques and skills that he teaches. Bob has over twenty-five years of sales and marketing experience, both in the corporate environment and as an entrepreneur running his own businesses. During his career, Bob has helped many international companies launch their products and services into the North American market. He has held positions of Vice President of Sales and Marketing, North American Sales Manager, and as Managing Director, opened and operated the North American office for an Italian electronics firm. In his early career, he worked in the aviation industry as a corporate pilot. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating and has logged almost of 10,000 hours of flight time.

Larry Weikel is a graduate of both Muhlenberg College and Temple University. After teaching for thirty years in the Pennridge School District in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, he turned his avocation of travel into a vocation. In 1998 he was named by the National Education Association/Retired Magazine as one of six educators who began a new career after retirement. After working with Experience Travel and HistoryAmerica Tours, he incorporated his own company, Guided Tours Unlimited. He has journeyed to all seven continents, traveling from above the Arctic Circle to below the Antarctic Circle. He has visited all fifty states and nearly sixty countries. Highlights of his travel experience include a Christmas pilgrimage to the Holy Lands, trekking over the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon celebrating the trail's 150th anniversary, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, welcoming the millennium on the International Date Line, plying the Mississippi River in its annual riverboat race, dog sledding in the Alaskan wilderness, and a gorilla safari in the Congo.

Linda C. Wisniewski a freelance writer in Bucks County, Pa. Her credits include the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Christian Science Monitor, Massage, The Rose & Thorn, Mindprints and other regional and literary magazines. Her memoir was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and she won third prize in the Bucks County Writers Workshop summer fiction contest. Linda writes regular features for the Bucks County Herald, a weekly newspaper. She is an active member of the Story Circle Network and a regional representative of the International Women’s Writing Guild.

Anne Wolfe is a professional writer, published author, and instructional designer, with a M.A. degree in Educational Technology. A former hospice volunteer, Anne is a member of the Association of Personal Historians, with a special interest in personal stories and end-of-life spirituality issues.

Allied Health Instructors

Gerontology

Mary Ann DuGan is currently the Executive Director of Friends Home and Village, two small Quaker retirement communities in Newtown, Pennsylvania. She has a B.S. in Gerontology from the University of Scranton and over twenty years of leadership experience in the field of long term care. Mary Ann has been a licensed Personal Care Home Administrator since 1992. In addition, Mary Ann is a writer, speaker, and instructor for Bucks County Community College and Penn State Abington Continuing Education (Personal Care Home Administrator 100-Hour Training). She has served as an active member and past President of Bucks County Long Term Care Consortium, Board Member and current Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Bucks County Workforce Investment Board, and member of the Advisory Board for LIFE St. Mary. Mary Ann is in the process of obtaining a Master of Science degree in Gerontology, Management of Aging Services, from the University of Massachusetts.

Insulin Mgmt

Brenda Schlesinger RN, MSN, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, CDE has been a Adult and Gerontological Nurse practitioner and Certified Diabetes Educator for over twenty years, She has been clinical faculty at Boston University, Northeastern University, George Washington University, Pace University and Holy Family University. She lectures at various Community Colleges on Geriatrics and Diabetes Management. She owns and manages her own company American Diabetes Education. She is a corporate consultant and provides insulin training and insulin pump management education. She works with Best Practices working with Geriatric patients in their own homes.

Nurse Aide

Carol Gillis has been a Nursing Instructor at BCCC for 10 years. As a member of the medical profession for 40 years, she has taken care of many types of patients and shares those experiences with her students. Carol has been teaching Nursing for 20 years and also teaches Childbirth and Lactation at St Mary Medical Center. She provides support and education to her students and acts as an advocate for members of the community. After receiving her RN from BCCC, she earned her BSN from La Salle University where she became a member of Sigma Theta Tau. Faith is of primary importance to Carol and she has been teaching religion for over 20 years. Traveling and spending time with her family and friends, are what Carol enjoys doing with her free time.

Pharmacy Tech

Alan J. Vogenberg RPh, FASCP is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. He was the owner of 2 different Community Pharmacies, ALAN'S Pharmacy in Bristol and Windsor Pharmacy in Levittown. His Pharmacies were diversified, and in addition to the usual activities of a Community Pharmacy, they included Pharmacy services to Nursing Homes, Assisted Living facilities and group homes for patients with disabilities.

Mr. Vogenberg taught Pharmacology for Nurses at Bucks in the 1990s, Pharmacy Technician courses at the Community College of Phila., and the same course at Bucks since 2001. He is a Past President of several organizations in Bucks County, including the Bucks County Pharmacists Association, Bristol Lions Club, Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bucks County Lung Association. He is also a Past President of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.

Although semi-retired, Mr. Vogenberg is a member of the Bucks County Medical Reserve Corps; Clinical Pharmacist Consultant at MediCom Worldwide, Inc. - a provider of medical Continuing Education for Physicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses, and works as a Docent at the Grundy Museum in Bristol. He continues his volunteer activities as a tour guide for the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation as a founding member of that group, and as an active member of state and national Pharmacy organizations.

Thanatology

Kimberly L. Rabago, MSW is a writer, speaker and instructor of the Thanatology course at Bucks County Community College. She holds a Masters of Social Work from Widener University and has worked in the healthcare related field for the past 7 years. Kim’s practice mainly focuses on issues surrounding loss, grief, bereavement, compassion fatigue, caregiver’s health and wellness education. She was a 2007 graduate of the Leadership Advancement class held by Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce. She has developed and presented on varies topics surrounding grief, bereavement, creative ways to cope, leadership and compassion fatigue. In 2013 Kim began course work at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Her wellness philosophy is heartfelt as she believes that we all have the ability to heal our ailments through nourishing ourselves with whole foods, emotional and physical support.